President's Remarks at Victory 2004 Rally in Parkersburg, West Virginia
Parkersburg High School
Parkersburg, West Virginia

2:33 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all for coming. (Applause.) Thanks for
taking time out of your Sunday to say hello. (Applause.) I appreciate
you giving me the chance to come and tell you I want your vote.
(Applause.) I believe you got to get out amongst the people and ask
for the vote, and that's what I'm doing. (Applause.)

It's great to be back in West Virginia. It seems like I'm making a
habit coming here. (Applause.) It ought to be clear to the people of
this state that I want to carry West Virginia again. (Applause.) And
it's clear to me, having been here a lot and seeing the enthusiasm and
the size of the crowds, with your help, we will carry West Virginia
again. (Applause.)

I like this state. It's the home of really good people, beautiful
scenery, and good hunting and fishing. (Applause.)

I wish -- I wish Laura were traveling with me today. (Applause.)
She's at home. She's been on the road a lot and -- what a great speech
she gave the other night in New York City. (Applause.) I'm really
proud of her. She's a great mom, a wonderful wife, a terrific First
Lady. I'm going to give you some reasons why I think you ought to put
me back in, but perhaps the most important one of all is so that Laura
will be First Lady for four more years. (Applause.)

I want to thank my friend, Dick Cheney for working so hard. He's a
great Vice President. I'm proud to be running with him. (Applause.)
You know, he doesn't have the waviest hair in the race. (Laughter.)
But I picked him because of his experience and judgment and because he
can get the job done. (Applause.)

You know, there's a -- like Jimmy, there's a lot of Democrats here
in the crowd, and I want to thank you all for coming. See, my message
is for everybody. (Applause.) A safer, stronger, better America is
for every citizen of this country. (Applause.) I think old Zell
Miller set a pretty good tempo for Democrats all across the country.
(Applause.) He made it clear it's all right to come and support the
Bush ticket. (Applause.) So if you're a Democrat and you're here,
welcome. (Applause.) If you're an independent and you're here,
welcome. (Applause.) If you're a Republican and you're here, thank
you for your help. (Applause.)

I want to thank all those who are running for office who are here,
but, most importantly, I want to thank you all. I also want to thank
the folks at Parkersburg High. (Applause.) I want to thank Ralph
Board, the principal, and the students at Parkersburg High.
(Applause.) I want to thank the community band that is here. Thank
you all for coming. (Applause.)

Looks like you all take high school football pretty seriously.
(Applause.) Kind of like where I was raised. There's nothing like
Friday night football. (Applause.) I want to thank -- did you win
last night -- or last Friday? (Applause.) You did? Good. That's
great. Now go do your homework. (Laughter.)

I want to thank the West Virginia Army National Guard 1092nd
Engineer Combat Battalion. (Applause.) Thanks for the good job you
did in Iraq. I'm proud of your service.

Not only am I here to ask for your vote, I'm here to ask for your
help. See, we have a duty in this country to vote. And I would hope
you would go out and register your friends and neighbors and remind
them that in a democracy, free citizens must participate. And then
when you get them headed toward the polls, just remind them that George
Bush and Dick Cheney are ready to lead this country for four more
years. (Applause.)

AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!

THE PRESIDENT: Listen, I'm looking forward to campaigning in West
Virginia and Ohio and all around this country. And as I do so, I'll
tell you what I -- where I stand, I'll tell you what I believe, and
I'll tell you where I'll lead this country. I believe that every child
can learn and every school must teach. (Applause.) That's why we
passed federal education reforms to raise the bar, to trust local
people with the decisions in the schools, to measure early so we can
correct problems before it's too late. We're closing the achievement
gap in America, and we're not turning back. (Applause.)

I believe we have a moral responsibility to honor our citizens with
good health care. That's why I went to Washington, D.C. to strengthen
Medicare. The old system said, we'll pay for heart surgery at $100,000
or so, but we won't pay for the medicine to prevent the heart surgery
from happening in the first place. Beginning in 2006, our seniors will
get prescription drug coverage in Medicare, and we're not turning
back. (Applause.)

I believe in the energy and innovation of America -- workers and
farmers and ranchers and small business owners, so we unleash that
energy with the largest tax cut in a generation. (Applause.)

We've overcome a recession, corporate scandals, terrorist attack.
Our economy is growing and it is getting stronger. Just this past week
we received the jobs report for August. America added 144,000 new jobs
last month. Plus 60,000 jobs upward revision for the previous two
months, we've added over 1.7 million new jobs since August of '03. The
national unemployment rate is 5.4 percent. (Applause.) And the
unemployment rate in the great state of West Virginia is 5.2 percent.
(Applause.) Our economic plan is working. (Applause.)

I believe the most solemn duty of a President is to protect the
American people. If America shows uncertainty and weakness in this
decade, the world will drift toward tragedy. This is not going to
happen on my watch. (Applause.) I'm running with a clear and positive
plan to build a safer world and a more hopeful America. I'm running
with a compassionate conservative philosophy: government should help
people improve their lives, not try to run their lives. (Applause.)
And I believe this nation wants steady, principled, consistent
leadership, and that is why, with your help, we're going to score a
great national victory in November. (Applause.)

The other night when I was speaking in New York I told the American
people I understand we're living in a changing world. It's a different
world from the world of our parents and grandparents. People are
changing jobs quite frequently. The workplace has changed. Many women
work not only inside their homes, but outside the home, as well. It's
a changing world. And, yet, the fundamental systems of America were
built for yesterday, not tomorrow -- our tax code, health coverage,
pension plans and worker training were all set up for a bygone era.
And I believe we need to change those systems to help the American
people realize their dreams. (Applause.)

But any hopeful society is one in which the economy is growing. To
create more jobs here in America, America must be the best place in the
world to do business. That means we've got to have -- that means we
need legal reform so our small businesses don't have to shut their
doors because of frivolous lawsuits. (Applause.) That means we need
-- Congress needs to get an energy plan to my desk, which encourages
conservation, renewables, but also encourages clean coal technology.
In order to keep jobs here in America, we must be less dependent on
foreign sources of energy. (Applause.)

To keep jobs here in America, we must open up markets overseas for
our entrepreneurs and manufacturers and farmers and ranchers. We open
up our markets, and that's good for you. What I tell other countries
like China is, you treat us the way we treat you. We can compete with
anybody, anytime, anywhere if the rules are fair. (Applause.)

In order to make sure we keep jobs here, we got to be wise about
how we spend your money, and we got to keep your taxes low.
(Applause.) We have a difference of opinion on taxes in this
campaign. My opponent has promised to raise some taxes. That's a
promise politicians tend to keep.

AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: This Labor Day weekend, it is important for
America's workers to know that my opponent wants to tax your jobs. His
plan to raise taxes on those at the top end of the income tax scale
will raise taxes for the 900,000 small businesses and entrepreneurs who
pay at the individual rate and who are creating most of the new jobs in
our changing economy. Raising taxes wills stifle job creation. The
way to get more Americans working is to support the small businesses
who are creating 70 percent of the new jobs in America. (Applause.)

I'll tell you what else we've got to fix is the tax code. It is a
complicated mess. It's full of special interest loopholes. Americans
spend about six billion hours of paperwork and headache every year on
the tax code. In a new term, I will lead a bipartisan effort to reform
and simplify and make fair the federal tax code. (Applause.)

We will expand access to our community colleges so workers will
have the skills necessary to fill the jobs of the 21st century. You
know that most new jobs in America are filled by people with at least
two years of college, yet only one in four students gets there. In our
high schools, we'll fund early intervention programs to help students
at risk. We'll place a new focus on math and science. Over time,
we'll require a rigorous exam before graduation. By raising
performance in our high schools and expanding Pell grants for low- and
middle-income families, we will help more Americans start their career
with a college diploma. (Applause.)

In a time of change, we'll do more to make quality health care
available and affordable. More than one-half of the uninsured are
small business employees and their families. In order to make sure
these families get help, we must allow small firms to join together to
purchase insurance at the discounts available to big companies.
(Applause.)

We will offer tax credits to encourage small businesses and their
employees to set up health savings accounts. I will ensure every poor
county in America has a community or rural health center. In all we do
to improve health care in America, we will make sure the decisions are
made by doctors and patients, not by government officials in
Washington, D.C. (Applause.)

Talk about an issue that's important here in West Virginia and
around our country, and that is these frivolous lawsuits are running up
the cost of your health care and they're running good docs out of
business. (Applause.) See, I don't think you can be pro-patient,
pro-hospital, and pro-doctor and pro-plaintiff attorney at the same
time. (Applause.) I think you have to choose. My opponent made his
choice, and he put him on the ticket.

AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: I have made my choice: I am for medical liability
reform now. (Applause.)

In a new term, we'll continue to promote an ownership society.
Listen, in changing times, if you own something, you bring stability to
your life. We're going to expand home ownership in America. Do you
realize home ownership is at an all-time high in America? There's
nothing better than more American citizens opening the door to the
place where they live and saying, welcome to my home, welcome to my
piece of property. (Applause.)

As well, we've got to make sure our retirement systems work well,
particularly for younger workers. If you're a baby boomer or older,
Social Security will take care of you, it will meet your promise. But
if you're a younger worker, you better take a good look at the balance
sheet of Social Security. I believe young workers ought to be able to
take some of their own taxes and put it in a personal account --
(applause) -- in order to make sure the retirement system is around for
them, a personal account they'll call a nest egg of their own that
government cannot take away. (Applause.)

We have a different philosophy in this race. If you listen
carefully to the fellow I'm running against, he's talking about
expanding government. He wants to increase government and the role of
government. That's different from our philosophy. I believe the
proper role of government is to increase opportunity, so citizens can
realize their full potential and realize the great dream of the United
States of America. (Applause.)

In a world of change, some things don't change: the values we try
to live by, courage and compassion; reverence and integrity. In a
changing world, we must support the institutions that are important to
our society -- our families, our schools, our religious congregations.
Because a caring society will value its weakest members, we must make a
place for the unborn child. (Applause.) Because religious charities
provide a safety net of mercy and compassion, our government must never
discriminate against them. (Applause.) Because the union of a man and
woman deserves an honored place in our society, I support the
protection of marriage against activist judges. (Applause.) And I
will continue to appoint federal judges who know the difference between
personal opinion and the strict interpretation of the law. (Applause.)

This election will also determine how America responds to the
continuing danger of terrorism. Since the terrible morning of
September the 11th, we have fought with the terrorists across the Earth
-- not for pride, not for power, but because the lives of our citizens
depend on it. (Applause.) Our strategy is clear: We'll defend the
homeland; we'll stay on the offensive; we'll strike the terrorists
abroad, so we do not have to face them here at home. (Applause.) And
we'll work to promote liberty around the world, particularly the
broader Middle East. And if we're strong and if we got faith in our
values, we will prevail. (Applause.)

Listen, our strategy is succeeding. Four years ago, Afghanistan
was the home base of al Qaeda, Pakistan was a transit point for
terrorist groups, Saudi was a fertile ground for terrorist fundraising,
Libya was pursuing nuclear weapons, Iraq was a gathering threat, and al
Qaeda was largely unchallenged as it planned attacks. Now, because we
acted, the government of a free Afghanistan is fighting terror;
Pakistan is capturing terrorists; Saudi Arabia is making raids and
arrests; Libya is dismantling its weapons program; the army of a free
Iraq is fighting for freedom; and more than three-quarters of al
Qaeda's key members and associates have been brought to justice.
(Applause.) We have led, many have joined, and America and the world
are safer. (Applause.)

This progress involved careful diplomacy, clear moral purpose, and
some tough decisions. And the toughest came on Iraq. We knew Saddam
Hussein's record of aggression and support for terror. We knew that.
We knew his long history of pursuing and even using weapons of mass
destruction. And we know that after September the 11th, we must think
differently about how to defend our country. We must take threats
seriously, before they fully materialize. (Applause.)

In Saddam Hussein, we saw a threat. I went to the United States
Congress -- they looked at the same intelligence, looked at the same
history of Saddam Hussein and came to the same conclusion: they saw a
threat -- including my opponent, who looked at the same intelligence I
looked at, and concluded that Saddam Hussein was a threat. And the
Congress voted the authorization of force.

Before the Commander-in-Chief commits troops into harm's way, we
must exhaust all other options to solve a problem. And so I tried the
diplomatic route. I went to the United Nations.

AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: I said to the United Nations, I said, we see a
threat. They looked at the same intelligence, remembered the same
history and, with a 15-to-nothing vote in the United Nations Security
Council, said to Saddam Hussein, disclose, disarm, or face serious
consequences. The free world spoke. But as he had for over a decade,
Saddam Hussein wasn't interested in what the free world said. See, he
got used to ignoring the demands of the free world. As a matter of
fact, when they sent weapons inspectors into the country, he
systematically deceived the inspectors. So I had a choice to make:
either take the word of a madman and forget the lessons of September
the 11th, or defend this country. Given that choice, I will defend
America every time. (Applause.)

Because we acted -- because we acted to defend our country, 50
million people in Afghanistan and Iraq are now free -- 50 million
people. (Applause.) You know, it's amazing what's happening in
Afghanistan. That was a country where the Taliban would not allow many
young girls to go to school, and take their moms out in the public
square and whip them if they didn't like the way they were thinking or
behaving. These people were barbaric. It's hard for the American mind
to comprehend how backwards and barbaric these people were. Today,
over 10 million citizens have registered to vote in the October
presidential elections in Afghanistan. (Applause.)

Freedom is powerful. Freedom is powerful. Iraq now has a strong
Prime Minister, a national council, and national elections are
scheduled there in January. Our nation is standing with the people of
Afghanistan and Iraq, because when America gives its word, America must
keep its word. (Applause.)

We're also doing it because it's in our interest. Free societies
in the Middle East will be hopeful societies, which no longer feed
resentments and breed violence for export. Free governments in the
Middle East will fight terrorists instead of harboring them, and that
helps us keep the peace. Our mission in those two countries is clear.
We'll help new leaders to train their armies so the Afghan people and
the Iraqi people can stand up for freedom in their own societies.
We'll help elections come forward. We'll get them on the path to
stability and democracy as quickly as possible. And then our troops
will return home with the honor they have earned. (Applause.)

I've had the privilege of meeting with those who defend our country
here at home and around the world. We have got a fantastic United
States military. (Applause.) And I want to thank all of the veterans
who are here today for having such -- set such a great example for the
men and women of the United States military. (Applause.)

We made a commitment to our troops and to the loved ones -- and to
their loved ones -- that we'll support them in their missions. That's
why I went to the Congress last September and proposed supplemental
funding for body armor and spare parts, ammunition, fuel, that which is
necessary to support our men and women in Afghanistan and Iraq. It's
an $87 billion request; it was necessary. As a matter of fact, the
Congress believed that. It was -- there was overwhelming support, and
so overwhelming, only 12 United States senators voted against it, two
of whom are my opponent and his running mate.

AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: As a matter of fact, only four United States
senators voted to authorize the use of force, and then voted against
funding our troops. Two of those senators were my opponent and his
running mate.

AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: So they asked him, they said, you know, why didn't
you vote? He said, well, I actually did vote for the $87 billion
before I voted against it.

AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: Then they pressed him further and he said he's
proud of his vote, and then he said, well, the whole thing is a
complicated matter. There's nothing complicated about supporting our
troops in combat. (Applause.)

Over the next four years I'll continue to work with our allies and
friends to promote freedom and peace. We've got a great coalition put
together -- nearly 40 countries are involved in Afghanistan, some 30 in
Iraq. But I will never turn over America's national security decisions
to leaders of other countries. (Applause.)

I believe in the transformational power of liberty. That's why I
say these are historic times. The world is changing. As liberty moves
on, so will peace, the peace we all want. You know, I like to tell
about my business with Prime Minister Koizumi. He's the Prime Minister
of Japan. You know, we sit at a table together and we're talking about
peace -- talking about North Korea and how to keep the peace; talking
about Iraq and how to keep the peace. An interesting conversation when
you think about it because it wasn't all that long ago that my dad, and
your dads and grandads we're fighting the Japanese as a sworn enemy.
And yet, because after World War II, Harry Truman and others believed
that liberty could transform countries and transform people, because
they held firm to the values of America, Japan today is no longer an
enemy. It's an ally in keeping the peace. Some day an American
President will be sitting down with a duly-elected leader of Iraq,
they'll be talking about how to make the world a more peaceful place.
(Applause.)

I believe that. I believe people long to be free. I believe
people, if given a chance to be free, will choose freedom. I believe
that because America is not -- freedom is not America's gift to the
world, freedom is the Almighty God's gift to each man and woman in this
world. (Applause.)

For all Americans these years in our history will always stand
apart. There are quiet times in the life of a nation when little is
expected of its leaders. This isn't one of those times. This is a
time that requires firm resolve, clear vision, and a deep, abiding
faith in the values that make us a great country. (Applause.)

None of us will ever forget that week when one era ended and
another began. On September the 14th, 2001, I stood in the ruins of
the Twin Towers. It's a day I will never forget. There were workers
in hard hats there yelling at me, "Whatever it takes." A guy grabbed
me by the arm and said, "Do not let me down." Ever since that day, I
wake up every morning thinking about how to better protect our
country. I will never relent in defending America, whatever it takes.
(Applause.)

We've got a vision -- we've got a vision and a plan to make America
a safer place and a more hopeful place for every citizen. Four years
ago, I traveled your state and I said if you gave me the great honor of
holding this office, I would uphold the honor and dignity of the office
to which I had been elected. With your help, with your hard work, I
will do so for the next four years. (Applause.)

God bless. Thank you all for coming. Appreciate you being here.
Thank you, all. (Applause.)